file: /pub/resources/text/reformed: nr94-050.txt
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For Immediate Release
September 29, 1994
Release #1994-50
For Further Information Contact:
Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer
Reformed Believers Press Service
Voice: (616) 674-8446
FAX: (616) 674-8454
E-Mail: Darrell128@AOL.com
PO Box 691, Lawrence, MI 49064-0691
Classis Grand Rapids East "Refines" July Decision to Disobey Christian
Reformed Synodical Ban on Women Elders
- "Recognizing synod's legal right to insist on" no women in office, classis
"acknowledges its' congregations right of conscientious objection" and
"resolves not to attempt to force its congregations to comply" with synodical
ban.
- Dr. Henry De Moor: "You've got to do something to fix July, because there
are many people who are really upset."
by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer
Reformed Believers Press Service
Grand Rapids, Mich. (September 29, 1994) RBPS - In the wake of seven written
protests and a storm of public criticism, Classis Grand Rapids East of the Chr
istian Reformed denomination voted on September 15 to revise its July 21
decision "that classis permit its individual churches the freedom to decide
whether or not the word 'male' in article 3a of the church order is operative
in their particular settings."
The new decision, supported by over ten pages of grounds, declares that
"recognizing synod's legal right to insist on the retention of the word
'male' in Church Order Article 3a, [classis] nevertheless acknowledges its con
gregations' moral right of conscientious objection (with any attendant
consequences) to that insistence with respect to the office of elder."
Classis also resolved "not to attempt to force its congregations to comply
with the decision of Synod 1994" urging churches to release women elders by
June 1, 1995 and not to ordain more women elders.
The resolutions came from a five-member committee appointed by the July
meeting "to do further work and refinement" on the motion. Dr. Henry DeMoor,
professor of church polity at the denomination's Calvin Theological Seminary,
served as reporter for the committee.
Delegates themselves appeared surprised by the extent of the negative
reaction to their earlier decision. Complaints received include objections
from Classis Illiana, First CRC of Chino, and the Presbytery of Southeast
Alabama of the Presbyterian Church in America.
"There are strong feelings on our committee that we have got to get out from
under that July decision," said De Moor. "You've got to do something to fix
July, because there are many people who are really upset."
The PCA letter, sent from the presbytery whose stated clerk is a leading PCA
moderate and former chairman of the PCA's Interchurch Relations Committee,
was singled out for special attention by Rev. Rolf Bouma, pastor of Eastern
Avenue CRC. "We've got a letter from the Presbytery of SE Alabama," said
Bouma. "I'd really like to see what their classical agenda is like that they h
ave time to send communications to us."
De Moor told delegates that he hoped the new classical decision would receive
just as widespread publicity as the July decision. "Reporters are apt to very
quickly send throughout the country reports that a certain classis voted to
defy synod, but they're not so apt to send out notations on a change in that
decision," said De Moor.
De Moor noted that his service on the Classis Grand Rapids East ad hoc
committee had raised questions at Calvin Seminary. De Moor is a member of
Woodlawn CRC, the church which submitted the overture adopted in July. His
wife Ina, also employed by Calvin Seminary as housing coordinator and
publications secretary, signed the overture as clerk of the Woodlawn
consistory. Woodlawn CRC allows women to serve on consistory in nonvoting adju
nct positions, a compromise which does not disobey synod and was approved by
Synod 1989.
"You can imagine how if I as a seminary professor am a member of a committee
which recommends ecclesiastical disobedience, I am in deep, deep trouble,"
said De Moor. "The seminary president said to me, 'De Moor, do you think you
can be on this committee in good conscience?' I said, 'Wait and see what the
committee comes up with.'"
Most discussion on the report focussed on the question of ecclesiastical
disobedience.
"This says something different from defying synod," said De Moor. "One thing
classis can't do is say, we're going to say Article 3 does not apply to
churches in classis, that's defiance, we can't do that."
De Moor said that under Article 42 of the CRC Church Order, Synod 1994's
statement urging churches to release their women elders means that each CRC
classis must send its church visitors to congregations with women elders and
urge the congregations to release the women elders.
"Synod is going to have to understand that there are churches, not just one
or two, that cannot do what synod urges them to do," said De Moor. "We're sayi
ng to synod, do not, please, expect us to go to those particular churches and
say, you're going to have to get rid of these women elders or we will have to
depose your entire council, then you have another 1926 on our hands."
The 1926 date refers to the last major split in the Christian Reformed
denomination. In that year, the CRC synod upheld the deposition of three
Christian Reformed councils by Classis Grand Rapids East and Classis Grand
Rapids West for refusing to comply with Synod 1924's position affirming
common grace.
Ironically, classis was held at Eastern Avenue CRC, which until 1925 was
pastored by Rev. Herman Hoeksema and was one of the three churches whose
council was deposed for refusing to affirm common grace. Eastern Avenue CRC
is now one of at least fifteen churches which have disobeyed synod to elect
women elders.
"Perhaps it is appropriate that we are meeting at Eastern Avenue, which was
the consistory that was deposed in 1926," said the current pastor of Eastern
Avenue CRC.
Bouma urged the delegates not only to consider the loud objections against
ecclesiastical disobedience but also the pain of CRC women. "We're beginning
to worry about the old boy network, what people are going to say to us at
Ministers Institute," said Bouma. "I want us in our communications to be as
aware of the pain we were addressing in July and not solely to be concerned
today with what other classes are saying and what synod might say, but also
with the pain of the women we were concerned about in July."
De Moor disputed the suggestion that the committee had capitulated to the
"old boys network" in producing its report, noting that the committee
included leading male and female advocates of women's ordination. "As for the
old boys network, do you really think that Clarence Vos, Morris Greidanus,
and Henry De Moor could get away with that in the presence of Lillian Grissen
and Charlotte Ellison?" asked De Moor
The classis may still have to face serious consequences for its decision. "If
congregations choose to take the option of conscientious objection, they're
going to have to take their licks," said De Moor. "If classis refuses to
discipline those congregations under Article 42 we may have to take our
licks."
However, De Moor pointed out that synod has been reluctant to force classes
to compel obedience in other cases. "This is not the first time classes have
not followed through with discipline under Article 42," said De Moor. "I
would cite as an example the many classes which have not disciplined churches
which say they cannot pay ministry shares to Calvin College because of what
is taught there."
For over a decade, conservatives in the Christian Reformed denomination have
mounted a financial counterattack on denominational agencies by refusing to
pay the synodically assessed "denominational ministry shares," formerly known
as "quotas." The 1994 denominational ministry share levels total $601.46 per
family and $250.60 per professing member, but the payment rate has dropped
under sixty percent for some denominational agencies, most notably Calvin
Seminary. While a number of classes have sent church visitors to inquire into
reasons for nonpayment, no church has yet been disciplined for refusing to
pay its denominational ministry shares.
Although it is clear that Classis Grand Rapids East will not, at least for
now, send its church visitors to "urge" congregations to release their women
elders, a number of questions still remain about what other effects Classis
Grand Rapids East's new decision may have. According to First CRC pastor Rev.
Morris Greidanus, "the grounds try to counter what synod did and show this
whole theme which moves through Scripture" of openness to use of women's
gifts.
"The synod adopted a very annoying ground, in my opinion, and that was that
this decision will not bind Christian consciences in any inappropriate way,"
said Greidanus. "We're taking a stand here with churches that say our
consciences do not allow us to not ordain women elders."
Other pastors in classis wanted further clarification. "Is it true that we
can say that we as a classis are not acting in conscientious objection, we
are simply recognizing that churches within our classis have conscientious
objections?" asked Plymouth Heights CRC pastor Rev. Russell Palsrok, who
faced an organized petition drive in his congregation opposing the July
decision. "If people ask, have you disavowed July 21st, you should say yes,"
responded De Moor. "The classis is saying, we think as a classis, these
churches have a good case for conscientious objection. That's not defiance,
that's sharing with synod our pastoral concern about a situation in our
classis."
The decision still did not satisfy Rev. Jerry Zandstra, pastor of Seymour
CRC, who had strongly objected to the original July decision and whose
council had overtured classis to rescind it. "It seems to me that it's still
sort of disobedience if synod says to do something and we don't carry it
out," said Zandstra, urging classis to take the further step of rescinding
the July decision.
De Moor said synodical rules do not provide for rescinding a previous
decision and that the Seymour CRC request was impossible for technical
reasons. Rev. Archie Vander Hart of Fuller Avenue CRC then called the
attention of classis to a provision in its local rules of procedure allowing
classis to rescind a previous decision. De Moor apologized for not being
aware of the local classical provision and said the ad hoc committee would
return with a recommendation on the matter at the January meeting.
Contact List:
Rev. Rolf Bouma, Pastor, Eastern Avenue Christian Reformed Church
900 Benjamin SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506 - H: (616) 637-5180 - O: (616)
637-6575
Dr. Henry De Moor, Professor of Church Polity, Calvin Theological Seminary
3233 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 - H: (616) 940-0513 - O: (616)
957-7194 - FAX: (616) 957-8621
Rev. Morris Greidanus, Pastor, First Christian Reformed Church
1349 Alexander SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506 - H: (616) 243-9549 - O: (616)
452-3590
Rev. Russell Palsrok, Pastor, Plymouth Heights Christian Reformed Church
1825 Chamberlain SE - Grand Rapids, MI 49506 - O: (616) 243-5638 - H: (616)
243-4568 - FAX: (616) 243-4808
Rev. Ron Scheuers, Pastor, First Christian Reformed Church
12943 Magnolia Ave., Chino, CA 91710 - O: (909) 591-9111 - H: (909) 590-2324
- FAX: (909) 464-9636
Rev. Henry Lewis Smith, Stated Clerk, Presbytery of Southeast Alabama (PCA)
PO Box 146, Prattville, AL 36067 - O: (205) 365-6387
Rev. Archie VanderHart, Pastor, Fuller Avenue Christian Reformed Church
1241 Fuller Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506 - H: (616) 245-7807 - O: (616)
241-1679
Rev. Gerald Zandstra, Pastor, Seymour Christian Reformed Church
1901 Pokogon Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506 - O: (616) 245-8726
Rev. Laryn Zoerhof, Stated Clerk, Classis Illiana
8910 Grace St., Highland, IN 46322 - O: (219) 838-6231